[Ravgardner!]

The bike is fully restored and looks and runs great. Just want to check to see what the proper adjustment for the headlight is? The Honda Tech checked it against the shop door, but I think a little followup to see if it is correct would be prudent.

For those that are curious, there are four headlight adjusting points, two on each bank of lights. There is a black plastic turn nob for height and a metal philips head screw for left and right adjustment.

Cheers! and thanks for any help you all might give.:ty:

 

[Croxy]

Glad to hear that everything is back together again!!!

 

[Ravgardner!]

Here is one way to check head light aim

OK, since I really think this issue needs to be addressed I'm leaping in to frying pan.

I've been at a disadvantage not knowing what the lights looked like because I had not driven after dark before the fairing was rebuilt after the deer collision. I checked various web sites for ideas and the New York laws and regulations for headlight rules. I didn't find anything official so I went with advice that made sense to me.

Here is the procedure I used to aim the headlights:
"Find a flat patch of ground with a white or light-colored wall at one end. (You may have one of these right there at home--it's called a driveway.) Place the bike 25 feet from the wall or garage door . Measure from the center of the headlight to the ground with the bike level. Now go over to the garage door and mark one line at the same height above ground, and another two inches lower. Use a carpenter's level to draw a horizontal reference line.
Switch on the headlights and mount the motorcycle. The low beam's upper cutoff point should rest right on the lower line. Because most bikes have combined high- and low-beam reflectors, setting the height (and checking to see that the beam is centered along the bike's long axis) is about all there is to it. But if you have separate high beams, make the center of the high beam land on the upper line. That's it."

I measured the middle of the CTX's low beam to be 35.5 inches. I used a strip of 2 inch wide painters tape as my marker taping the top of the tape at 35.5" to wall of my shop. So I adjusted the low beam lights to the bottom of the of the tape. I found mine were probably 8" low. The LED's put of a nice flat light. Easy to see and adjust.

There are two adjusting knobs. Finding the adjusting knobs is hard and they are hard to get a hold of. Check pages 3-18 of the service manual or page 155 of the owners manual. I put the bike on the center stand, turned the wheel all the way to one side in order to get my big mits up under the fairing. Did one side at a time this way. In this position, I could push the knob with one finger a little each time. Clockwise moves the beams up, Counter clockwise down.

The beams were well on center, so I didn't need to adjust that, but there are two philip screws to adjust left and right.

I'll post back with my evaluation of this light position in while. Hope this helps.

 

[bob]

Keep in mind that placing the bike on a center stand will lift the rear wheel and tilt the bike forward (rear up/front down) so the headlight beam will appear to be lower than spec. If you adjust with the bike on center stand the beam will be adjusted too high. This is one procedure that really should be done with both wheels on the ground. I am thinking it best to use a front wheel chock to keep the bike straight up and also both wheels on the ground, or a helper sitting on the bike as shown in the diagram. That may be why you found the lights adjusted too low... they were originally adjusted with both wheels down.

 

[Drummer]

Headlights

The bike is fully restored and looks and runs great. Just want to check to see what the proper adjustment for the headlight is? The Honda Tech checked it against the shop door, but I think a little followup to see if it is correct would be prudent.

For those that are curious, there are four headlight adjusting points, two on each bank of lights. There is a black plastic turn nob for height and a metal philips head screw for left and right adjustment.

Cheers! and thanks for any help you all might give.:ty:

Although I do not to adjust my headlights,I cannot see any adjustment knobs or Philips head screws,would it be different for us here in the UK.
Cheers Melv

 

[Ravgardner!]

Melv
You will be able to see the screws, but not turn knobs. I seriously doubt there would be a difference in any CTX1300 shipped to the UK or anywhere else in the headlights. You can feel for them. Down below the spreakers in a depression or Cuby of the black plastic light backing. So hard to describe even harder to take a photo of. But I'll try.

 

[csdexter]

Do what I did and use a dentist's mirror (also known as inspection mirror)

 

[Ravgardner!]

Great comment. Inspection mirror helps. Here are some photos I took, placing the camera next to the left fork tube with the wheel all the way right.

Left speaker is above the area you are looking for. Can see the Up and Down directions on the back of the headlight below it.

Here is the depression in the back of the headlight where they hid the adjuster.

Here is the adjusting knob. Blimey its White!

 

[Drummer]

Headlights

Thanks ravgardner handy to know:ty:

 

[Ravgardner!]

I'm not a professional mechanic, a hacker mechanic I guess, but I like to know how things work.:350x700px-LL-66dd6d

Headlight aiming is not something I wanted to, but for safety's sake, I felt it needed to be done. My feeling was right. I'll drive a little safer on these darkkening mornings now. :520:

 

[Ravgardner!]

These adjustment specs work OK!

Its been two weeks of driving to work in the dark using the newly adjusted headlights and I think they are spot on. So I think for future reference this proceedure will get your lights to a very good starting place and in my case I'm leaving them there. Of course personal preference is always "preferred."
So if someone needs too, here is a way to do it. Just remember that this is done while you sit on the bike. It will not be correct if you use the center stand only.

"Find a flat patch of ground with a white or light-colored wall at one end. (You may have one of these right there at home--it's called a driveway.) Place the bike 25 feet from the wall or garage door . Measure from the center of the headlight to the ground with the bike level. Now go over to the garage door and mark one line at the same height above ground, and another two inches lower. Use a carpenter's level to draw a horizontal reference line.
Switch on the headlights and mount the motorcycle. The low beam's upper cutoff point should rest right on the lower line. Because most bikes have combined high- and low-beam reflectors, setting the height (and checking to see that the beam is centered along the bike's long axis) is about all there is to it. But if you have separate high beams, make the center of the high beam land on the upper line. That's it."

I measured the middle of the CTX's low beam to be 35.5 inches. I used a strip of 2 inch wide painters tape as my marker taping the top of the tape at 35.5" to wall of my shop. So I adjusted the low beam lights to the bottom of the of the tape. I found mine were probably 8" low. The LED's put of a nice flat light. Easy to see and adjust.

(One more note: Using a 2 inch strip of blue painters tape works very well as a target line because you can see it under the brightness of the lights making your adjustments easier) :smiley-happy0034:

 

[Mohr]

Ravgardner. Saw your post on the headlight adjustments. Excellent pics, without them I would never find it. I have a question for you. There is a left and a right adjustment. Is one for low and the other for high beam? If so which is which?

 

[PGRChaplain]

Mohr, the adjusters move the Headlight bucket, high and low beams don't adjust separate. It moves both at the same time.

 

[Mohr]

Good to know, thank you. ��

 

[shane]

I noticed that, from the factory, my headlights were aimed a little low and a little too far to the left. One of those knobs is for vertical adjustment, the other is horizontal. The knob on the right was almost impossible for me to find!

 

[Mohr]

Shane, do you remember which one is vertical? My lights are a little low for me.

 

[shane]

Here's a picture of the diagram of the knob location from the shop manual... I totally forgot that it was a *pair* of knobs for each adjustment, vertical and horizontal. https://goo.gl/photos/FGqmKGD5sDBTS5p4A

 

[Mohr]

I finally got is straight in my mind. Sometimes things take a while, but once I got, I got it. Just have to remember what I was trying to remember. lol. Thanks gentlemen you all have been a big help.